All the Colorado Rockies had to do to avoid occupying an unenviable place in the MLB history books was not allow five runs in the bottom of the ninth inning.
The Rockies are now occupying an unenviable place in the MLB history books.
More specifically, the Rockies have now trailed for at least part of all 29 of their games so far this season, breaking a tie with the 1910 St. Louis Browns for the longest such streak in history, per the Associated Press. Colorado currently holds a 7-22 record.
The last time the Rockies were either tied or ahead for an entire game was a Sept. 26, 2023, game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Tuesday’s game might have been the most brutal way to fall behind. The Rockies began the game with a first-inning rally that scored five runs, capped off by a three-run homer from Elehuris Montero. Colorado starting pitcher Ryan Feltner then took the ball and proceeded to throw eight innings of shutout baseball.
Then the bottom of the ninth arrived.
Feltner opened the inning by allowing three straight baserunners, with an RBI double by Luis Arraez ending his bid for a shutout. Justin Lawrence then came in for cleanup duty, which didn’t go well. He allowed four straight baserunners, then a game-tying sacrifice fly to push the game into extra innings.
The Rockies got another lead with a double from Ryan McMahon in the 10th inning, but a Bryan De La Cruz double and Dane Myers single put an end to the game.
The Rockies can at least say, technically, they never trailed during the game. Unfortunately, it still counts.
No one was expecting a good season for the Rockies after they went 59-103 in 2023 and made barely any notable moves last offseason, but it’s been a rough start even by those standards.
